The invention relates to the field of wireless networking devices and specifically to systems and methods of configuring wireless networking devices to operate in close proximity to each other. Many organizations provide wireless networks to their users and/or the general public. Often, multiple wireless networking devices, such as wireless access points, are required to provide effective wireless network access to users over large physical area. For example, there may be large numbers of wireless access points operating together to provide wireless network access within one or more buildings, a campus, or even neighborhoods and cities.
Typically, wireless networking devices such as wireless access points communicate using one or more RF channels. As the physical density of wireless access points increases, interference between multiple wireless networking devices using the same or overlapping channels becomes more likely. As a result of channel interference from both other wireless network devices as well as other sources of radio interference, the network performance for users decreases.
One way to mitigate channel interference is to assign neighboring wireless networking devices to different or non-overlapping channels. Prior approaches have typically operated in a centralized manner or a distributed manner. Centralized approaches gather data from most or all of the wireless networking devices and use this complete view of the wireless network to determine a satisfactory assignment of channels to the wireless networking devices. The downsides of this approach are the need for a central entity to collect data from all of the networking devices, process network data, and determine channel assignments.
Distributed approaches to channel assignment rely on wireless networking devices to select an optimal channel for itself or to negotiate channel assignments between themselves. However, the former approach results in a sub-optimal channel assignment over the entire network and the latter approach requires the exchange of numerous messages between wireless networking devices. Additionally, this approach may take a long time to converge to a stable channel assignment. Furthermore, small changes in the RF environment may lead to a ripple effect, causing channel assignment changes across the entire wireless network.